Open Looking after mind, body and soul

[Seren Dipity]

Seren found her transition to Hogwarts harder than she had thought it would be. The castle was a busy place and it seemed that no one had much time to themselves. Seren observed students being in their element in amongst it all, but she didn't feel herself here yet. Back home she had been taught to tackle any anxiety with yoga, but until today, the young Gryffindor had not had time. She chose Sunday lunchtime after all her homework was completed to slip away to practice yoga, taking a towel and empty water bottle with her.

Seren filled her water bottle from a fountain on the way then left the castle from a side door. She briskly walked towards the lake, stopping at the a sunny spot at the waters edge. She took a sip then set her water bottle to the side, lay out her towel on the grass, and slipped off her hi tops.

She stepped on the towel, took a deep breath and closed her eyes. In one practiced movement, she set herself into a steady position, distributing her weight evenly on both legs and raising her hands to the prayer position, her thumbs against her breast bone, she closed her eyes and inhaled through the nose, followed by a long exhale out the mouth. The desired effect was immediate, Seren felt calm and started to gather her thoughts.

 

[Alice Holland]

Alice loved spring, so every free moment she had she was spending outside these days. She often tried to talk her friends or sisters into going outside with her, but today she was content with taking a walk alone. Sometimes it was nice to be by herself for a bit, though she also wouldn't mind running into anyone she knew. As a second year, she didn't feel so lost at Hogwarts anymore, but she still felt a little homesick occasionally. It didn't help that so much in her life had changed recently, that she wasn't just missing the physical place of home, but also the way her life was before her mother had become Minister. It wasn't like it was all bad now, but it was... different, which wasn't always easy.

She decided to head over to the lake, a place she hadn't visited as much as other places on the grounds. Flowers were more her style, but she had to admit the lake had a calming look and feel to it. As she walked along the shore, she noticed a girl standing strangely. Alice stopped and looked at her for a moment, puzzled. She noticed the girl was young, probably a first year, and she was standing on a towel. Alice hesitantly approached, watching her curiously for a moment. She wondered if she would be startling her if she spoke, but eventually couldn't resist. "Excuse me, can I ask what it is you're doing? I'm sorry to interrupt, but I've never seen anything like this."

 

[Seren Dipity]

Inhale. Exhale. And so it went, Seren' eyes were closed, enjoying the natural sounds of rustling leaves as the light breeze blew, and sounds of the water in the lake splashing to shore. She felt cold but her body would warm up soon. She thought of the suns impact on the world, of the trees deeply embedded roots, and of the animals who fed from them, each doing their part for the ecosystem which kept the world turning. Everything lived, did it's bit, and then died, the world kept turning and Seren was part of it. She took another deep breath, moving then to raise her left foot from the ground and placing it against the inner thigh of her right leg. This required balance and concentration, neither were natural talents of hers, she had to focus and concentrate on the pose.

There was no Hogwarts right now, no homework or students. It was peaceful. She continued to breathe steadily and once she established balance began to raise her hands upwards to the sky, still on one leg. She wobbled but did not tumble.

She heard someone speak. Seren brought her leg back down to earth and opened one eye to look at them. "Oh hello, that's okay, and this is yoga." She replied, now opening both eyes, her arms still in the air but stretched. "Yoga is meditation through the adoption of specific body postures. Would you like to try yourself? I'm only a beginner myself but can show you some of the poses I know if you'd like me to."

 

[Alice Holland]

Alice had watched the girl in fascination, and wondered if she should have spoken at all. She had seemed so at peace and so focused on what she was doing, and once the concentration was broken, Alice felt a little bad. But she had interrupted already, so she might as well stick around to get an answer to her question. The girl explained it was yoga, a concept Alice wasn't familiar with. She gave the girl a friendly smile as she opened her eyes, listening raptly to her explanation. When she asked if she wanted to try for herself, Alice nodded without hesitation. "It looks really nice! I would like to try." She said, never one to shy away from new experiences. "Is it really meditation? Why do you do it?" She asked as she moved to stand next to the girl. "My name is Alice, by the way. Thanks for offering to teach me!"

 

[Seren Dipity]

OOC: Hey, sorry for the late reply!

Seren smiled at the new arrivals interest and willingness to try yoga. Not everyone was so open to trying strange new things that Seren admired the trait whenever she saw it. Understandably they had questions, like why they did it which Seren readily answered, "Yes, it's good for you and it makes me feel good." Seren had brought one towel down with her so she stepped off it to let Alice use it. "Here, stand on this Alice, and it's better with your shoes off." Bare feet are recommended but not compulsory. "My name is Seren, it's nice to meet you! How good is your balance Alice?"

Seren gave her a minute to kick her shoes off and get comfortable before they started. "The best starting position is with your feet together, back straight, and hands by your side. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Good, are you feeling okay?"

 

[Alice Holland]

OOC: No worries!

Alice was a very open and curious person, so picking up something new was something she always enjoyed. She liked that the younger girl was so ready to teach her, and felt herself grow even more curious when the girl said it was good for her and made her feel good. That definitely meant she had to try it! After a moment's pause, she took off her shoes and stepped onto the towel. "Thank you. It's nice to meet you, Seren." She said with a grin. "My balance is... normal, I think? I'm okay at climbing trees, and you need balance for that too." She said with a smile. "Maybe I can teach you that in return! Though you might know how to do it already." If she knew yoga, it was pretty logical to Alice that she would know how to do something as basic as climb a tree too. Alice stood with her feet together and she straightened her back, keeping her hands by her side. She breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth like the girl suggested, then glanced at her. "Yes, what's next?"

 

[Seren Dipity]

"That would be great! I don't have much experience of climbing trees but I'd love to try!" Seren gladly accepted the invitation to climb trees, it was something new like yoga was to Alice. "And coincidentally, the yoga pose I'm going to show you is called the Tree Pose so I think you'll like it." Seren smiled then got her head back into yoga. She really enjoyed having the company today.

"Great, keep a focus on your breathing, let yourself relax." Seren stood beside Alice, also with her feet together and hands by her side. "The Tree Pose involves standing on one leg and being like a tree in nature. Trees have embedded roots, it is stable. Try to think about the timeless meditative state it exists in. Be the tree." Seren explained, not at all bothered by how silly it sounded, it was yoga and part of the meditation process. "Then when you are ready, place the sole of your right foot flat against your left thigh. If you need to, you can hold onto me until you find your balance. Once you have that balance, stretch your arms up above your head and hold the position. Remember to keep stready breathing and relax." Seren stopped talking and gave Alice a chance to try the pose for herself, she stood beside her and did the same pose.

 

[Alice Holland]

Alice was relieved she could teach Seren something in return for this. It felt nice to be able to exchange interests this way. She had done something similar with her friend Ava, who she had shown how to rollerskate in return for painting lessons. Alice grinned. "Awesome, it's a deal!" She said happily. Then she laughed when Seren told her the yoga pose they were going to do was the Tree Pose. That was a funny coincidence. She listened closely to what Seren told her, and tried to focus on her breathing. It was weird to pay attention to how you were breathing, and she had to stifle a nervous laugh. She wanted this girl to know she was taking this seriously, and really didn't want to seem like she was laughing at her. She watched what the younger girl was doing closely, and tried to copy it. The pose involved standing on one leg, and Alice did so after finding her balance. She wobbled a little, frowning slightly. "If I have to be a tree embedded by roots, why is it one leg? That's not very steady, is it?" She asked, wondering if this move shouldn't be called 'the flamingo' or something. Once she had found her balance enough to keep standing on one leg, she had to put her right foot flat against her left thigh. She tried to do it immediately, but soon found she had to grab the other girl for balance. "Sorry, I guess being a tree is harder than climbing a tree." She joked. Once her balance was restored, she started stretching her arms above her head. It was strange, but as she held the position and breathed steadily for a while, she realized she found herself calming. She glanced at Seren who was doing the same pose, seemingly effortlessly. She then glanced ahead at the lake, trying not to think about anything but her breathing.